


Stolen Moments

by Punch_Detective



Category: Warframe
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Lesbians, Multi, Ticker is a trans woman, biz is a bi man, eudico and zuud are lsebians, it's just kinda soft and sweet, thanks Hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-16 01:45:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19308112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Punch_Detective/pseuds/Punch_Detective
Summary: Two brief vignettes into romance in the lives of the Solaris





	Stolen Moments

Romance was not an easy thing to come by among the Solaris.  Not because of some anti-modification sentiment, where losing your organics made you somehow less lovable, but because the citizens of Fortuna often didn't have time between shifts to do anything beyond eat, perform self-maintenance and basic hygiene, and sleep.  Sometimes there wasn’t enough time even for that. The breakdown of work and life barriers certainly made things harder for romantic relationships to form… but it was not impossible.

Lasting relationships were usually slow to form - flings certainly existed, but they were short-lived and rare.  Zuud often likened flings to Thermia fractures - bright, hot, a pain to deal with, potentially dangerous, and usually over around two weeks later.  Nobody outside of Solaris United thought of Zuud as the dating type, and many figured that her sleeping quarters stood empty most nights because of her obvious insomnia.  Solaris United members knew better.

 

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The door to Eudico’s sleeping quarters was roughly thrown open, and the Solaris United leader barely got a chance to look up from what she was reading before Zuud collided with her and held on - causing Eudico to stumble back a step before responding by patting her back and leaning into the embrace.  The pair had been dating since before Deck 12, and privately Eudico felt that the same miracle that let Zuud and herself survive it also let their relationship remain intact.

“Rough day?”  Eudico asked, voice muffled by both her rig and Zuud’s front pressed against her.

“They’re all rough days.”  Zuud grumbled back, steering Eudico to the bed without letting go.  “Chatter wouldn’t shut up all day. Can’t get any work done with it…”

“Chattering?”

Eudico laughed when Zuud abruptly let go of her and made a big show laying down with her back to her.  Naturally, Eudico’s retaliation was to lay down next to Zuud and put her arm over the other woman’s waist, pulling her closer and tucking her other arm underneath her head.

“How’s Chatter now?”  Eudico asked, lowering her voice as Zuud twisted her arm so she could interlace her fingers with Eudico’s.  “Quiet?”

“Quieter.”  Zuud corrected before barely stifling a yawn.  The bed was barely big enough for one person, let alone two grown women, but the pair were making it work.  The cool wall to her front and the warmth and pressure of her girlfriend’s body against her back were deeply soothing, and one of the few times Zuud found herself actually relaxed.  Chatter would quiet down, and the stress of the day melted away the moment she ended up in Eudico’s arms. It helped that they were deep in Fortuna, far away from where any attackers would ever think to look for them.  In a word, even after everything that happened, Eudico was  _ safe _ .

“I love you.”  Eudico whispered, but Zuud had already drifted off to sleep, her grip on Eudico’s hand slowly relaxing.  It didn't matter to Eudico that Zuud couldn't say it back with words at the moment. Her soft, even breathing as she slept said it far more than any words could.  Gently, Eudico shifted Zuud's position so they could both lay on the bed more comfortably before she too drifted off to sleep.

 

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On rare occasions flings developed into something deeper.  An offer for mutual comfort on Fortuna's cold nights, whispered into her ear while his hand gently squeezed hers.  She took the offer. A few weeks later, he was the one to accept it. Then again, she accepted. Then, and he was still not completely clear on how it happened, Biz and Ticker quietly decided that they were dating.  It had certainly started as a fling - but something had changed after the third time.

Ticker considered herself a private woman.  She was an open book, true, but only if you knew where the book was.  Biz was one of very few people to figure it out. She had cried while talking about old wounds - physical and metaphorical - and Biz was there not only to listen, but to gently wipe her tears away.  She had known him, back in the day. Before she knew who she really was, and before he had 'gone soft'. Biz had been there at her debut, standing quietly in the background and all but daring anyone to make a comment.  He had had a different girlfriend at the time, and Ticker had been a close friend even then. She smiled to herself as she reminisced, listening to Biz tell a Tenno who did seem that interested about Virmink family structures.

"I've gone soft."  Biz asserted that night, and Ticker rolled her eyes.

"You've always been soft."

"I have not!"  He was indignant, but made no attempt to stop Ticker from more or less sitting in his lap and putting her arm around his shoulders.  "I was The Business. I wasn't soft then."

"You were soft then too."  Ticker countered. "Soft with steady hands good for sewing and painting."

"Steady hands I got from sniping."  Biz countered, like that changed anything.

"Steady hands you used to bandage injured animals and Solaris alike.  Steady hands you used to help me learn how to do makeup with. You were still The Business then, because you still are The Business."  Ticker leaned forward, bumping the front of her rig against Biz in a quick peck. He huffed indignantly, turning his head away. “You’re a man of many secrets, and one who has many descriptors attached to him, but you’ve never not been soft.  You’ve been ruthless, yes, and you’ve done things you now regret because you felt the ends justify the means, but… You’ve never not been soft and kind somewhere in there. Because being soft and vulnerable isn’t like you.”

Biz wrapped his arms around Ticker, resting his head against hers.  The pair stayed like that for a moment before Biz let go and cupped Ticker’s ‘cheek’ in his hand.

“You really are the most remarkable person I’ve ever dated, my dearest Ticker.”  He said, a quiet awe in his voice. “And I love you.”

 

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Brief, tender moments were sometimes all the Solaris had.  Some felt it was deliberate, piling on the workday shifts so they didn’t have time to connect with each other, romantically or platonically.  There were times where it got to the point that it felt like the brief touches on each other’s hands, the shared coffee and laughter between friends, and the simple act of sharing a bed at night were revolutionary actions - flying in defiance of the world they had been born into.


End file.
